Feeler mechanism for looms



March 10. 1925.

G. H. WILLARD FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed June 10, 1924 2Sheets-Sheet 1 #Vf/VTOR JWM ATTORNEY March 10. 1925.

G. H. WILLARD FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed June 10, 1924 2Sheets-Sheet 2 VE/VTOR" @LwW BY )7 ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 10, 1925.

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE,

GEORGE E. WILLARD, OF HOPEDALE, ,MASSACEUSETTS, ASSIG-N'OR -'10 DRAPERGOR- PORATION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF MAINE.

FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

Application filed June 10, 1924. Serial No. 719,206.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. WILLARD, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Hopedale, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in F eeler Mechanisms forLooms, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on thedrawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to feeler mechanisms for looms and moreparticularly to the intermittent type of feeler mechanism wherein thefeeler is held in an inoperative position for periods of time and isreleased periodically to the performance of its feeling function duringweaving with the same so ply of filling in the-shuttle.

n feeler mechanisms of the intermittent type it is desirable that thefeeler be held retracted, during the period it remains inactive, to asufficient degree to prevent it from engaging the filling with anappreciable force upon successive detecting beats. If the filling in theshuttle alone is relied upon to move the feele-r to the position inwhich it is held inoperative, the feeler in most cases will not be heldentirely out of reach of the filling upon subsequent detecting beats,with the result that the feeler while held inoperative may engage thefill ing at the completion of a detecting beat with suflicient force toinjure or chafe the filling to some degree;

The feeler obviously is moved frontwardly further when it engages a fullbobbin than when it engages a partly depleted bobbin, and it has beenproposed heretofore to provide a latch that is positioned to engage anyone of several notches upon the feeler tohold the feeler retracted inthe different positions to which it may be moved frontwardly by thefilling upon a detectin boat, but such latch means does not ho d thefeeler entirely out of reach of the filling.

One of the features of the present invention, therefore, residesinadetent device for holding the feeler retracted in a non-feelingposition, and which isprovided with a cam surface or wedge that servesto impart an additional frontward movement to the feeler to holdit-either entirely out offrea/ch of the filling, or retractedsufliciently to prevent the feeler from engaging the filling withappreciable force.

feeler retracted; and

Other features of the invention and novel combination of parts will bebest-understood from the following description and the accompanyindrawings of good practical forms of t e invention.

In the drawings:

-Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a-loom at the feeler side, showing afeeler mechanism contalmng the present invention;

F1 2 is an enlarged perspective view showm nonfee ing position;

Fig. 1s a perspective view showing the mechanism of the presentinvention applied to the side swipe type of feeler;

F1 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the detent of Fig. 2raised and be-- ginning to move into position to hold the Fig. 5 is avertical sectional view through thpi pivotal support for the detent ofFig. 2. vention is herein shown as associated with the feeler held inits retracted or e feeler mechanism of the present inv meansforeffecting replenishment of filling 1 when that in the shuttle issubstantially exhausted on a detecting beat, but the re-.

plenishi'ng mechanism is not illustrated because it may be of any usualtype and is well known,- and the details thereof form no part of thepresent invention. The feeler shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is of a type inwhich the frontward movement of the feeler is limited to a straight pathextending at substantiall right angles to the axis of the shuttle, whi ethe feeler shown in Fig. 3 is of the inclined type that enters theshuttle at an inclination to the axis. thereof and is adapted to slidealong the'filling carrier lengthwise of the shuttle to callforreplenishment of filling when the filling in theshuttle issubstantially exhausted.

The loom framev 1 may be of usual con- I shaft 5- and extending upwardlytherefrom is the arm 6 to which is end portion of which is adapted to been- 7 ivotally connected at 7 a rearwardly extending arm 8, the rear pgaged at times with an operating member 9 which may be formed as part ofor asv sociated with the cam follower.

' 1r all Pivotally mounted at 10 on the lug ll-rising from the loomframeis the transmitter 12, the end 13 whereof underlies the latch 8.The transmitter 12 has connected thereto the end portion 14, in which ismovable the controller 15, in the present instance shown as an armpivotall mounted at 16 and norunder the lnfluence of a spring 17,tending to move the end of the controller rearwardly in the slottedportion 14 of the transmitter. These parts are all ofusual and wellknown construction and operate in In the construction shown in Figs. 1and 2, one face of the frontwardly extending stem of the feelerisnotched to form the shoulder 36,1while the end of the stem is providedwith the inclined face '37. A detent 38 is provided to engage theshoulder 36 and hold the feelerin its retracted or non-feeling position,and the detent is shown as pivotally supported by a bracket 39 having arearwar ly extendin arm 40 that is slidably secured "to the fee er stand21 and may be clamped in different positions of ada well known manner toeiiect replenishment\j ustment by a bolt 41 extending through a offilling when the controller 15 is moved frontwardly upon indication ofsubstantial exhaustion of filling, the transmitter 12 at such time beingtilted by the controller 15 as the latter passes-over the inclined end,or

cam of the end portion 14 of the transmitter. Mounted on the loom "frameis a bracket .18 which may be secured adjustably to the frame by meansof a bolt 19 passing through a slot 20 in the loomv frame, and thefeeler stand 21 is adjustably secured to the bracket -.feeler 24. Thefeeler 24 may be variously constructed, and as shown, has a frontwardlyextending stem'25 which is guided in the feeler stand, and the feeler isurgedrearwardly to its feeling position by a coiled spring 26 confinedwit in the feeler stand.

Pivotally mounted at 27 upon the feeler 1s the actuator 28, the endportion 29 of which i is normally held raised by a spring actuated pin30, but is adapted to be depressed toengage the controller 15'when thefilling is substantially exhausted, as is well understood with thisclass. of feeler mechanism. The actuator 28 has connected thereto theabutment 28 which, when the filling is substantially exhausted in theshuttle, is adapted to engage the wall of the shuttle, or a part carriedby the lay, to QGPIGSS the end 29 of the actuator into position forengagement with the controller 15.- as the lay'moves frontwardly.

' The lay is provided with the usual shuttle box which is'adapted toreceive the shuttle 31, and the front wall 32 of the shuttle box and thewall 33 of the shuttle are slotted as usual to permit the feeler tip34to enter the shuttle and feel the filling on a detecting beat. All ofthe parts so far described may be of any usual or desiredcharacterwhereb when the filling is substantially exhauste replenishment may beeffected without stoping the loom. Y

As stated, the present invention relates to feeler mechanism oftheintermittent type, and means for holding the feeler 24 in an inoperativeposition for a period of time and then releasing it, will now bedescribed.

slot 42. The bracket 39 is provided at one side of the stem 25 with arearwardly xtending sleeve 43 in'which a bolt 44 is rotatably mounted,and a reduced portion of this bolt extends through a drill hole in thesupporting .arm of the detent and is rigidly secured to the arm bytightening the nut 45 at the outer end of the bolt to clamp the armbetween the nut 45 and the' shoulder 46. The arrangement is such thatthe bolt rotates with the detent. 4

The outer end of the detent is provided with an inclined face 47 thatengages the inclined face 37 of the stem and rides upwardly upon theface 37 as the feeler 24 is gushed frontwardly. The outer end of theetent is also provided with the cam face 48 adapted to engage theshoulder 36 and hold the feeler retracted. In the construction shown,the detent is rocked downwardly by a coiled spring 49 that surrounds thesleeve '43, and one end of the spring is secured to the bracket 39 at 50while the other end is secured to the head of the bolt 44 at,51. Thearrangement .is suchthat the tension of the spring rotates the bolt in adirection to swing the detent downwardly, and the tension of the springmay be varied by backing off the nut 45 so that the bolt may be turnedin one direction ortheother in the detent, and thenttightening the nut.

The cam face 48 of the detent should be so positioned that it willengage the shoulder 36 of the feeler and hold' the feeler retracted whenit ispushed frontwardly by a substantial amount of filling in theshuttle, but will fail to engagethisshoulder when the filling has beenunwound to nearly an exhausted condition so that the feeler will be freeto feel the condition of the filling upon each detecting beat. Tofacilitate accurate adjustment of the detent the-bracket 39 is.providedwith an adjusting screw 52 that extends into a threaded hole inthe .feeler stand and has a reduced portion that rotates in a notch 53of the bracket. The bracket 39 may beadjusted either in or out byrotating the adjusting screw 52 and may be clamped in the adjustedposition by tightening the nut 41.

The construction of the cam face 48 is importantbecause it serves notonly to hold the feeler retracted but also to impart a further frontwardmovement to the feeler as the detent moves downwardly, and this is dueto the fact that the cam faceiexerts a wedging or cam action upon theshoulder 36. The tension of the spring 49 me be such that it willovercome the force the spring 26 and will force the detentdownward withcamming effect until the detent strikes the lug 54, or the tension ofthe spring to provide a stop to limit the upward move-' ment oft-hedetent so that it will not be thrown too high. To'this end the bracket39 is provided with a finger 39? that serves asa stop. y 1

After the feeler has been held inactive for a predetermined number ofpicks,it is de- "sirable to release the same so that it may again feelthe condition of the filling in the shuttle, and if a substantialamount-of filling is still present, the feeler will again be pushedfrontward by the filling far enough to be engaged and held by the detent38.

Various means may be provided for actuating the detent periodicallytorelease the feeler, and in the construction shown this is accomplishedby a plunger slidably mounted the lug 54, and the plunger may beactuated from a going portion of the loom by a wire 56 enclosed within asheath 57. The opposite end of the sheath is secured to ablock 58mounted u on the loom frame, and the o posite end 0 the wire 56 I issecured to a p unger' extending from the block 58 into position to beactuated by the .rocking lever 59 pivoted at 60. The lever 59 has a lug61'that engages a' projecting head 62-secured to a spoke of the gear 63,and as the head is forced against the lug by the rotating gear, itactuates the lever 59 to trip the detent 38. The gear 63 is shown as oneof a chain of gears, 64, 65 and 66, which actuate the usual take-uproll.-

In applying the type of mechanism above described for holding the feelerinactive to the side swipe feeler, it-may be desirable to modify theconstruction somewhat to accommodate the lateral swinging movement ofthe feeler which occurs when the feeler calls for filling replenishment.A somewhat different construction is therefore shown as applied to theside swipe feeler of Fig. 3. This feeler is of well-known constructionand consists of afeeler stand 67 provided with the inclined feeler 68supported for sliding movement frontwardly and in a lateral direction.The feeler is urged to its feeling .the boss 79, and the position by aspring 69 and the forward portion of the feeler extends slidablv throu h.a bearing block 69*. At one side of t e feeler stand 67 is mounted abracket 70 that may be adjusted to different positions by a screw 70"similarto the manner in which the bracket 39 is adjusted. U on thebracket 70, is-pivotally mounted a dietent 71 that extends in afrontward direction and is mounted upon a pivot pin 72 which maybesimilar in construction to the pivot pin 44, v and is rotated bva'coiled spring 73. l j

r The forward portion ofthe feeler stem provided witha block- 74 rigidlysecured thereto b a set screw 75 and the block. has a lateral yextending arm 76. The detent '71 has an inclined face 77 positioned tobe. en aged and elevated by the arm'7 6 as the fee or is pushedfrontwardly upon a detect- 1 ing beat; The forward end. of the detent 71is provided with a cam face 78 which cooperates with the shoulder orrear-face of the arm 76, similar to the cam face 48 above described. Thelaterally extendin arm 76 permits the detent to be spaced I'OIIl thefeeler so that the detent will not interfere with the side swipemovement of the feeler. The detent may be tri iped to release the feelerby a plunger slida 1y mounted within filunger engages a lug 80 extendinglatera The plunger is actuated from a going part of the loom asdescribed in Fig. 1. The n ward movement imparted to the detent 1 as thefeeler is forced frontwardly is limited by engagement of the lug-80 withthe bar 81 of the bracket 70. I

The mechanism shown in Fig. 3 for holding-a feeler in the.retracted'position may also be used in connection with the type offeeler shown in Figs. 1 and 2 which does not partake of a side swipemovement. The construction of the'cam face in both Figs. 2

and 3 is such that the force of gravity helps to move the detentin-adirection to cam or wedge the feeler frontwardly, andthe vibration ofthe loom will also serve to force the detent "in further wedgingengagement with the shoulder of the feeler.

' In Fig, 3 the side swipe feeler 68 is shown as providedwith a tip 82that is formed of wood, this type of feeler tip being desirable yfromthe detent.

in that it is ess likely to injure the filling Y than the metal or othertypes of feeler tips heretofore used. The feeler tip 82 may be securedto the feeler by means of a tongue 83 that extends into a slot formed inthe end of the feeler and maybe fastened in place byanin84.

What is claimed is: v

1. In a feeler meehanism'for looms, the

combination of a feeler, a spring normally acting in a direction to movethe feeler cam face for be] ing the feeler in frontward or non-feelingposition and constructed to ur e the feeler frontwardly in the directionof its length, a shoulder upon the feeler positioned to en age said camface, and a spring acting u said detent to move the cam face so t atsuccessive portions of the cam face move against the active face of thev shoulder with a wedging action to impart -to move the cam faceso thatsuccessive por-' of its length. i r

'tions of the cam face press against the shoulder with a wedgingactionwto move the feeler further frontwardly in the direction 3. hafeeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler, a springnormally acting in a direction to move the feeler towards feelingposition, a detent having a cam face for holding the feeler in frontwardor non-feeling position, a shoulder upon the feeler positioned to beengaged by said cam face, a spring acting upon said detent to move thecam face so that successive portions of the cam face press against theshoulder with a Wedging action to move the feeler further frontwardlv inthe direction of its length, and means for'imparting movement from apower actuated part of the loom to the detent to release the feeler.

4. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the

combination of a feeler, a spring normally acting in a directionto movethe feeler towards feeling position, a detent mounted for movement toand from its active position and having a cam face for holding thefeeler in retracted position, a shoulder upon the feeler positioned tobe engaged by the tip of the cam face when the feeler is moved'frontwardly on a detecting beat by a substantial amount of filling inthe shuttle, and the cam face being constructed so that suc cessiveportions thereof press against the shoulder with a wedging action toimpart a further frontward movement to the feeler.

5. In a feeler mechanism for looms,'the combination of a feeler, aspring normally acting in a direction'to move the feeler towards feelingposition, a detent mounted for rocking movement downwardly into activeposition and having a camface for holding the feeler in retractedposition, a shoulder upon the feeler positioned to be engaged by the tipof the cam face when the feeler is pushed frontwardly on a det'ectingbeat by a substantial amount of filling in the shuttle, and the detentbeing constructed to move downwardly an increasing amount uponsubsequent detecting beats to bring successive portions of the cam facesinto wedging action with the shoulder and cause the cam face to hold thefeeler in a further frontward position should the feeler gngage thefilling on a subsequent detecting eat.

6. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler, aspring normally acting in a direction to move the feeler towards feelingposition, a shoulder upon the feeler, a detent positioned to engage theshoulder and hold the feeler in a retracted or non-feeling position whenthe feeler is pushed frontwardly on a detecting beat by a substantialamount of filling in the shuttle, a we'dging surface upon the detentthat is urged in a direction to cause successive portions of suchsurface to press against the shoulder with wedging action to maintainthe feeler in a further retracted osition should it be urged frontwardlyslight- 1y fly the filling on a subsequent detecting pic 7, In a feelermechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler, a spring normallyacting in a direction to move the feeler towards feeling position, ashoulder upon the feeler, a detent movable to and from holdingengagement with said shoulder, an

inclined surface upon the feeler for moving the detent out of the pathof the shoulder so that the detent may snap into holding engagement withthe shoulder when the feeler is pushed frontw'ardly on a detecting beatby a substantial amount of filling in the shuttle, a wedging surfaceupon the detent, and means for urging the wedging surface in a directionto impart further frontward movement to the feeler.

8. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler, aspring normally acting in a direction to move the feeler towards feelingposition, a shoulder upon the feeler, a detent mounted for rockingmovement to and from the shoulder, an inclined surface upon the feelerfor moving the detent upwardly out of the path of the shoulder so thatthe detent mav drop back rig t angles to the shuttle axis. a springnormally acting in a direction to move the feeler towards feelingposition, a notch formed in a side of the feeler to provide a shoulder,a detent for holding the feeler in frontward or non-feeling positionwhen the feeler is pushed frontwardly by a substantial amount of fillingin the shuttle, a cam face upon the detent, and a spring acting uponsaid detent to move the cam face in a direction to cause successiveportions of the cam face to act upon said shoulder with Wedging efiectto move the feeler further frontwardly.

10. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler mountedto enter the shuttle in a direction substantially at right angles to thelongitudinal axis of the shuttle, an actuator constructed and arrangedto be engaged and operatively positioned by a part on the lay when thefilling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, a detent forholding the feeler in a retracted position beyond the reach of thefilling during its periods of inactivity, and a part connected to thefeeler for engagement by the detent, the detent being provided with acurved cam surface that is moved by the detent to cause successiveportions of the cam surface to act upon the shoulder with Wedging actionto move the feeler frontwardly in the direction of its length to aninoperative position.

11. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler mountedto enter the shuttle in a direction substantially at right angles to thelongitudinal axis of the shuttle, an actuator constructed and arrangedto be engaged and operatively positioned by a part on the lay when thefilling is vsubstantially exhausted on a detecting beat, a detent forholding the feeler in a retracted or non-feeling position during.

its period of inactivity, a laterally projecting shoulder upon thefeeler for engagement by the detent, and a cam surface upon the detentsupported so that it will exert a wedging action upon the feeler to movethe same further frontward in the direction of its length as successiveportions of the cam surface press against said shoulder.

12. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler, aspring normally acting in a direction to move the feeler toward feelingposition, a detent having a relatively long inclined cam face for holding the feeler in frontward or non-feeling position, a shoulder upon thefeeler positioned to be engaged by said cam face, and the cam face beingsupported by the detent to move automatically into wedging engagementwith said shoulder when the feeler is pushed frontwardly by asubstantial amount of filling and adapted to impart a further frontwardmovement to the feeler in the direction of its length as successiveportions of the cam surface press against said shoulder with wedgingaction.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE H. WILLARD.

